Peng Xiaolian

Peng Xiaolian was born in Chaling, Hunan, on 26 June 1953. She was abandoned as an infant and adopted by foster parents, but lost both of them by the age of seven. She was raised by her uncle and attended a boarding school in Jiangyin. She entered Beijing Film Academy in 1978, where she translated, directed, and acted in The Rising of the Moon, a play by the Irish dramatist Lady Gregory. It was the first Chinese production of the play. She also sent the play to George Bernard Shaw to express her admiration and received a reply that encouraged her to be creative and original. After graduating from Beijing Film Academy in 1982, Peng worked as a primary school teacher in rural Nanhui County outside of Shanghai. In late 1981, she wrote the patriotic play Put Down Your Whip, inspired by Tian Han's play Meiniang. It became extremely influential and was staged countless times throughout China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The actress Wang Ying even performed an English version of the play in the White House for President Roosevelt and his wife. ² During the war, Peng also made a famous staging of the play Qu Yuan, and wrote one of the first Chinese books on film theory. She joined the Lianhua Film Company and directed several films, such as Dawn Over the Metropolis (1983), Song of the Fishermen (1984), and New Women (1984). She also collaborated with Shi Dongshan, Cai Chusheng, and Zheng Junli, who were among the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China. ² After the war, Peng returned to Shanghai and became a leading member of the Lianhua Film Society. Her most famous film was Women Side by Side (1989), which depicted the lives of three women from different social classes during the Chinese Civil War. The film was a critical and commercial success, but was denounced as a "poisonous weed" during the Cultural Revolution. ² Peng moved to the U.S. to live in New York in 1989, and before moving back to China in 1996. She directed the films A Dog to Kill (1997), Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (1998), Keke's Magic Umbrella (2000), Shanghai Women (2002), Shanghai Story (2004), Shanghai Rumba (2006) and Shanghai Kids (2008). Shanghai Story won four Golden Rooster Awards, including the Best Picture and Best Director awards. ² Peng died of lung cancer on 19 June 2019 in Shanghai, at the age of 66. ² She was one of the most influential and innovative filmmakers and playwrights in Chinese cinema and drama history. She was a pioneer in progressive and realistic filmmaking and writing, and a master of social commentary and human drama. She created milestone films and plays that reflected the conflicts of human nature and destiny, demonstrating a profound artistic vision and cultural awareness. Her works have been widely praised and studied by critics and scholars, and have inspired generations of filmmakers and audiences. She was also a feminist who championed the rights and dignity of women in her films and plays.